The present invention relates to a fluorescent lamp fixture and more particularly to a fixture which can be easily attached to a mounting surface and rapidly assembled without hand tools by merely pushing the components together.
Light fixtures of the fluorescent-type having components which can be snapped together are not new. U.S. Pat. No. 2,559,639 is typical of the prior art and has a housing formed of oppositely disposed members that have sidewalls which are shaped to enable them to be snapped together. However, the open ends of the housing are typically closed by means of plates secured to the housing by small screws and the like. Manual alignment of the screws and their securement is time consuming and can be troublesome if they need to be attached after the fixture is secured to a ceiling or other relatively inaccessible location. In addition, the means for securing the lens to the fixture must be relatively simple to enable removal for easy replacement of the lamp yet be effective to insure against inadvertent detachment.
In contrast, applicant's lamp fixture comprises channel and cover members each having complimentary bead means to enable the members to be snapped together. The cover member carries holders for receiving the lamp and other electrical components. A pair of plug-in end caps are provided, each having oppositely disposed flanges integrally formed therewith, the sides of one of the flanges each containing guide means in the form of a recess for receiving the bead means and a projection which engages a corresponding notch formed in the cover member to insure proper alignment. Each end cap also has a pair of legs which engage the channel member and provide a spacing means. A lens is provided having a pair of ribs which snap into detachable engagement with an operature in the end cap flanges to hold the lens adjacent the end caps.
In another embodiment, a light shield can be substituted for the diffuser lens to enable light to be directed. The shield is rotatably mounted on a pair of adaptors, each of which are positioned adjacent the end caps and on the cover member.
It is therefore the primary object of my invention to provide a superior lamp fixture of the fluorescent type.
It is another object of my invention to provide a lamp fixture, the major components of which can be rapidly assembled in the field.
It is a further object of my invention to provide a lamp fixture having end caps which can be rapidly aligned in the open end of its housing and perform the dual function of providing a means for detachably securing the lens thereto as well as a spacing between the housing and a mounting surface.
It is a still further object of my invention to provide a lamp fixture which has a diffuser-type lens that can be removed and an adjustable light shield substituted therefor to enable light to be directed to a specific location.
It is yet another object of my invention to provide a lamp fixture of the subject type which is simple in construction and relatively inexpensive to make yet can be rapidly assembled with little manual dexterity into a sturdy assembly.
With these and other objects, variations, modifications and adaptations which can be readily improvised by one skilled in the art, it is my intention not to be limited by the illustrations of the preferred example of my invention as described fully hereinbelow, but to be limited solely by the basic concepts underlying the fundamental principles as defined in the hereunto appended claims.